Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guadalajara and Colima

For one person, living is cheaper in Colima: $941 a month against $1,298 in Guadalajara, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
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Guadalajara Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Colima
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Colima Living Index

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Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,298

/mo nomad

Colima

🇲🇽 Mexico

$941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guadalajara and in Colima

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Guadalajara and in Colima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,298 in Guadalajara versus $941 in Colima.

Guadalajara $1,298
Colima $941

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Guadalajara versus $1,533 in Colima.

Guadalajara $2,082
Colima $1,533

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,866 in Guadalajara versus $2,125 in Colima.

Guadalajara $2,866
Colima $2,125

Living in Guadalajara is roughly 38% more expensive than in Colima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Guadalajara 5% lower, Colima 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.70 MX$257

$7.36 MX$138

86.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.79 MX$803

$32.08 MX$602

33.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.10 MX$171

$7.15 MX$134

27.27%

Cappuccino

$3.78 MX$71.0

$2.09 MX$39.23

80.86%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.61

$0.97 MX$18.25

62.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$20.33

$0.83 MX$15.52

30.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 MX$51.0

$2.20 MX$41.26

23.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 MX$91.3

$2.48 MX$46.62

95.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.87

$1.51 MX$28.33

12.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 MX$47.82

$2.54 MX$47.64

0.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 MX$30.55

$1.14 MX$21.37

42.98%

Eggs

$2.39 MX$44.94

$2.77 MX$52.0

-13.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.94 MX$168

$8.19 MX$154

9.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.70 MX$182

$8.31 MX$156

16.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.27 MX$212

$9.69 MX$182

16.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 MX$52.4

$2.80 MX$52.6

-0.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 MX$30.03

$1.35 MX$25.42

18.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.69 MX$31.65

14.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.14

$2.12 MX$39.79

-14.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$36.66

$2.29 MX$43.04

-14.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 MX$33.28

$2.27 MX$42.59

-22.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 MX$29.61

$1.47 MX$27.52

7.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$20.20

$1.11 MX$20.89

-2.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$90.9

$3.73 MX$70.1

29.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 MX$195

$6.36 MX$119

63.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.71

$1.49 MX$27.96

31.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 MX$63.3

$1.73 MX$32.53

94.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 MX$10.88

$0.68 MX$12.70

-14.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.99 MX$563

$19.57 MX$367

53.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 MX$39.47

$2.49 MX$46.74

-15.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 MX$27.57

$2.77 MX$52.0

-46.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.54 MX$179

$9.16 MX$172

4.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$27.34

$1.38 MX$25.95

5.80%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.5K MX$385.0K

$22.1K MX$415.8K

-7.41%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$22.9K MX$430.8K

$22.0K MX$412.4K

4.46%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$48.21 MX$905

$65.5 MX$1,229

-26.35%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$22.37 MX$420

$19.85 MX$373

12.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.85 MX$560

$28.60 MX$537

4.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.25 MX$530

$34.63 MX$650

-18.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.00 MX$206

$21.43 MX$402

-48.67%

Cinema Ticket

$5.80 MX$109

$4.68 MX$88.0

23.93%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$234 MX$4,387

$141 MX$2,652

65.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,974 MX$187.2K

$2,527 MX$47.4K

294.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MX$1,044

$44.57 MX$837

24.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 MX$738

$24.99 MX$469

57.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,931

$73.3 MX$1,376

40.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 MX$1,482

$98.0 MX$1,840

-19.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$921 MX$17.3K

$257 MX$4,825

258.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 MX$9,404

$263 MX$4,931

90.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 MX$29.1K

$369 MX$6,926

319.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 MX$18.9K

$574 MX$10.8K

75.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,432 MX$64.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,142 MX$40.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$760 MX$14.3K

$280 MX$5,261

171.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.53

11.3

2.04%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Guadalajara: October 25, 2026

Last update for Colima: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Guadalajara

$501 38.6%

Colima

$263 27.9% 47.6% $238

Groceries & Markets

Guadalajara

$274 21.1%

Colima

$245 26% 10.6% $29

Eating Out

Guadalajara

$216 16.7%

Colima

$129 13.7% 40.5% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Guadalajara

$125 9.6%

Colima

$108 11.5% 12.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guadalajara

$100 7.7%

Colima

$114 12.1% 13.4% $13

Getting Around

Guadalajara

$42 3.2%

Colima

$39 4.1% 7.5% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Guadalajara

$40 3.1%

Colima

$44 4.7% 10.4% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $921 in Guadalajara and $257 in Colima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guadalajara pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Guadalajara vs $32 in Colima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $245 per month, with Colima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Colima

🕒 Local time

16:15 4:15 PM

Same time as Guadalajara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,385,629

146,965

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Guadalajara vs Colima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,298 in Guadalajara and $941 in Colima, so Colima is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Guadalajara is about 2.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $921 in Guadalajara versus $257 in Colima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Colima runs roughly 35% less than in Guadalajara. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $234 in Guadalajara versus $141 in Colima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $941 in Colima versus $1,298 in Guadalajara, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Colima but tight or insufficient in Guadalajara. The gap between the two cities makes Colima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Colima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Guadalajara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.